The National Archives is trying to bring more information to the public through their new “Wikipedian in Residence”, 24-year-old Dominic McDevitt-Parks. McDevitt-Parks has been tasked with getting cultural and historical treasures, like a collection of Ansel Adams photographs, on Wikipedia. He explains the idea behind the newly-created position in a recent interview with the WashingtonRead… Read more »
It would be pretty hard to imagine a private-sector CEO knowingly paying his employees to do work for another company (or worse, the competition). But a recent piece by the Washington Post’s Joe Davidson explains that the federal government does something quite similar. According to the story, a GOP congressman has introduced a bill toRead… Read more »
Walter Pincus of the Washington Post brought up a darn good question earlier this week: Which is more important, the person(ality) at the top of your organization or the way it’s structured? In many ways, this brings to mind the old debate about a coach’s job. Is it to motivate players, inspire them, help eachRead… Read more »
Businesses are up in arms about a proposed plan from the Securities and Exchange Commission to pay corporate whistleblowers. Employees who provide tips or sound the alarm over corporate abuses could earn 10-30% of the money they help the SEC recover. Depending on the size of the settlement, that could be worth millions of dollars.Read… Read more »
As Federal Eye columnist Joe Davidson pointed out for the Washington Post today, a year has passed since President Obama announced he would be “revamping” the federal hiring process. These were the reforms that were supposed to eliminate KSAs in favor of more traditional job applications and (at least in theory) shorten the hiring processRead… Read more »
You probably didn’t know that National Dog Bite Prevention Week exist (neither did I). More importantly you probably didn’t know that dog bites were costing the government big bucks. Seriously though, dogs biting postal workers is actually a problem… just ask the people in Houston. Postal Service Says Houston Dogs Bite Most Often USPS releasedRead… Read more »
In a recent blog posting from the Washington Post’s Al Kamen, we find an interesting, slightly tongue-in-cheek debate going on about who actually takes credit for the SEAL Operation that took down bin Laden. Obama, Bush, or as Kamen writes: Some folks tried to give Bill Clinton credit as well, since he launched that missileRead… Read more »
In an effort to regain the public’s trust and fix their reputation, the National Air Traffic Controller’s Association (NATCA-the nation’s largest union for air traffic controllers) is turning to social media for help. Via a brand new video posted on YouTube earlier today, a group of experienced air traffic controllers from around the country explainRead… Read more »
In a recent article from the Washington Post, Dan Eggen discusses a recent proposal from over a dozen large corporations who promise big investments in domestic industries in exchange for tax breaks. The Influence Industry: Companies lobbying for tax holiday on overseas money As Washington politicians grapple with how to lower the federal deficit, aRead… Read more »
If you’re up for a challenge, you should definitely try your hand at Washington Post columnist Ed O’Keefe’s recent quiz on where popular Smithsonian souvenir items were manufactured. It is tougher than you might think… Guess Where Smithsonian Gifts Are Made Which leads me to a larger point, as well as another blog post fromRead… Read more »